When Marc Jacobs revealed the first look at his David Sims shot fall/winter 16 campaign we noted the designer has made a tidy habit of honoring his favorite people through his work. And why wouldn’t you when your friends list is this impressive. Now, with the announcement of more campaign faces, he’s continuing with the theme of celebrating icons who have forged their own set of ideals around fashion, beauty, and art. The only difference is that with Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, Annie Clark, and Kembra Pfahler on board, we’re going to even darker places.
Almost a quarter of a century after she served as one of the influences for his 1992 grunge show at Perry Ellis, Courtney Love is still inspiring the designer. Speaking of his feelings for her and her place in the campaign he said: “The way she’d scream her lyrics from that gash of a red mouth to the hard rocking, wailing sounds of Hole. She was then and remains now, for me, the ultimate divine mess in a dress.”
Marilyn and Marc, also old friends, met at a Halloween party in 1996. Again, decades later Marc continues to be drawn to the artist’s ability to meld shock and his intelligence, reflecting: “In direct contrast to the outward hideous beauty of Manson’s stage persona is his instinctive, inherent intelligence and understanding of what matters.” Sharing a love for glamorous chaos and an impressive 90s pedigree, Kembra looks right at home in the line-up. Marc lovingly christened the singer of punk band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black “The High Priestess of Fetish.”
Not one to get too lost in nostalgia, the designer called on Annie Clark (St Vincent) and her girlfriend Cara Delevingne. Again, their inclusion was about more than their otherworldly looks. After reading an interview with Annie in Rolling Stone where she “described queerness as a transcendence of sexuality and as a ‘banner’ for being ‘other'” Marc was compelled to work with her.
And, for the final black cherry on top, a group shot of models Julia Banas, Willy Morsch, and Kiki Willems, styled to pay homage to 80s girl groups.
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Text Wendy Syfret